Articles: coronavirus.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparison of clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics between SARS-CoV-2 infection and community-acquired pneumonia caused by influenza virus: A cross-sectional retrospective study.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most important global public health issue that we currently face. We aimed to explore the clinical features of patients with COVID-19 and compared them with those of hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients caused by influenza virus during the same period. From Jan 1, to Mar 4, 2020, patients with COVID-19 or CAP caused by influenza virus who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were consecutively screened for enrollment. ⋯ Ground-glass opacity with reticular pattern (63%) and interlobular septal thickening (71%) in chest CT were commonly observed in the COVID-19 group. COVID-19 and CAP caused by influenza virus appear to share some similarities in clinical manifestaions but they definitely have major distinctions. Influenza infection remains a health problem even during COVID-19 pandemic.
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Introduction: Recently, researchers from China and France reported on the effectiveness of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in vitro. Timely dissemination of scientific information is key in times of pandemic. A systematic review of the effect and safety of these drugs on COVID-19 is urgently needed. Objective: To map published studies until March 25, 2020, on the use of chloroquine and its derivates in patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods: We searched on PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, and 15 registries from the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for theoretical and empirical research in English, Spanish, Italian, French, or Portuguese until March 25, 2020, and made a narrative synthesis of the results. Results: We included 19 records and 24 trial registries (n=43) including 18,059 patients. ⋯ Nine trials evaluate chloroquine exclusively and eight hydroxychloroquine. The records are comments (n=9), in vitro studies (n=3), narrative reviews (n=2), clinical guidelines (n=2), as well as a systematic review, an expert consensus, and a clinical trial. Conclusions: One small (n=26), non-randomized, and flawed clinical trial supports hydroxychloroquine use in patients with COVID-19. There is an urgent need for more clinical trial results to determine the effect and safety of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2020
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Taiwan: An Online Survey on Worry and Anxiety and Associated Factors.
This study explored the associations of individual factors (demographic characteristics, self-confidence in responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and self-rated physical and mental health) and environmental factors (perceived confidence in COVID-19 management by the regional government and adequacy of resources and support available to address the COVID-19 pandemic) with worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety among people in Taiwan. The Chi-square was used to compare difference for worry and anxiety among categorical variables. The logistic regression was used to examine the associations between worry as well as anxiety and individual as well as environmental factors. ⋯ This suggests health care providers need additional surveillance of worry and anxiety during the pandemic. Multiple individual and environmental factors related to worry toward COVID-19 and general anxiety were identified. Factors found in the present study can be used for the development of intervention programs, supportive services, and government policy to reduce worry and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The ultimate outcome of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unknown and is dependent on a complex interplay of its pathogenicity, transmissibility, and population immunity. In the current study, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was investigated for the presence of large-scale internal RNA base pairing in its genome. This property, termed genome-scale ordered RNA structure (GORS) has been previously associated with host persistence in other positive-strand RNA viruses, potentially through its shielding effect on viral RNA recognition in the cell. ⋯ Its biological relevance arises from previously documented associations between possession of structured genomes and persistence, as documented for HCV and several other RNA viruses infecting humans and mammals. Shared properties potentially conferred by large-scale structure in SARS-CoV-2 include increasing evidence for prolonged infections and induced immune dysfunction that prevents development of protective immunity. The findings provide an additional element to cellular interactions that potentially influences the natural history of SARS-CoV-2, its pathogenicity, and its transmission.
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Numerous cases of pneumonia from a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China during December 2019. We determined the correlations of patient parameters with disease severity in patients with COVID-19. A total of 132 patients from Wuhan Fourth Hospital who had COVID-19 from February 1 to February 29 in 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. ⋯ The main clinical symptoms of patients from Wuhan who had COVID-19 were fever and cough. Patients with severe/critical disease were more likely to be male and elderly. Disease severity correlated with increased leukocytes, CRP, PCT, BNP, D-dimer, liver enzymes, and myocardial enzymes, and with decreased lymphocytes and blood oxygen partial pressure.